


Lighthouse at the End of the World

by LysSerris



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Aged Characters, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Closure, F/F, Lovers to Friends, OOC, Pricefield Implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 21:45:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15128450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LysSerris/pseuds/LysSerris
Summary: Another musical AU that no one asked for. One shot.After finishing her last show, Chloe Price decides to drink her sorrows away. While waiting on a ride, she runs into someone she never thought she'd meet again.





	Lighthouse at the End of the World

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Consider this a preview of a larger story I would like to write.

Two hours after their set had ended, Chloe had pocketed her money and grabbed her meager belongings from the back of the van. The drum kit would stay with Rachel. It wasn’t the one she’d started out with and the emotional impact of the gift had worn off over the years.

She threw her pair of keys towards the center console, hoping Frank would be coherent enough to not lose his own and slammed the rear doors shut, turning back to go into the bar. Gravel crunched beneath her feet, backpack swinging up to her shoulder.

Music worked out through the holes where windows used to be, shredding guitars and scratchy lyrics forming her own haunting theme music. Vic had taken an uber out to pick up her vehicle, and would be back in an hour or so. Until then, killing time by throwing back shots was as good a method as any.

As she neared the entrance, the mountain of a bouncer placed his back to the door, stance wide and imposing. His tribal tattoos stood out in the focused light of the lamp above the door, and wide muscles rippled beneath his too tight t-shirt.

“Gonna need to see some ID kid,” he thundered out, placing his palm face up in front of her.

_The literal fuck??_ She’d always had an issue with tough guys who pushed their authority, and any thought of complying died on the vine.

“The fuck you mean? You just saw me play a set and come out of this door, or have the steroids fucked up your eyes, meathead?”

The startled look on his face as she pushed back felt good, even if all it came from was words.

“Jesus, I was just fuckin’ around. No need to get pissy…”

He moved his bulk to the side of the door, opening it slightly for her to pass through. She glared daggers, knowing her anger wasn’t warranted, but he was here, and he’d pulled on her hair trigger, so fuck it.

She finished shoving past him, falling into the dim light and haze of weed and cigarettes floating through the air. The bar was mostly empty, only a few people sitting in the back and smoking, the bar itself deserted in favor of the floor space right in front of the stage in the next room, the band already deep into their set and whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The music was muted slightly but not enough to call the bar quiet or tranquil.

Taking a seat, she placed her pack between her feet and waved the bartender over. Choe eyed the spiked mohawk, dyed green and shaved on the sides of her head, taking in the ribbons of tattoo’s and color marking the bartenders arms.

“What ya’ having?”

Chloe leaned herself towards the table, elbows propping her up, allowing her body to finally show the exhaustion she’d been fighting through all night long.

“Whatever’ll fuck me up quickest I guess,” she huffed out, rubbing her bloodshot eyes, trying, and failing, to fight off the beginnings of a headache.

“Sure thing babe.” The bartender turned to start making a drink, eyeing up at Chloe when able. Chloe for her part, couldn’t care less. Let her stare. After tonight she wouldn’t be caught in a shit pit like this unless dragged in.

“Five bucks”, The bartender finished up, sliding over a topped off shot glass.

“Put it on my tab, Price” Chloe downed the shot as soon as she could, familiar burn down her throat, and tears sparking to her eyes. “And just keep em’ coming for now.”

She fished out her phone from her back pocket, the cracked glass and banged up sides a reminder of the last time she’d thrown it in a fit of rage.

In just a glance, she knew there was nothing interesting on it. Victoria was probably just starting to drive back, and Frank and Rachel were fuck knows where doing fuck knew what. The days had passed where they celebrated a successful show with drinks and partying together.

She was done with this. Well and truly done with it. Four and a half years and more than ten thousand miles across the country. Only to end up back in the shit pit where she’d started. A different person for sure, and maybe only here for the night, but the feeling that she’d only circled around a drain wouldn’t leave her.

It wasn’t the case and she knew it, but when she was alone and the music was all over, the strength from baring her heart out on a stage and forcing herself to work until her arms and hands cramped just crashed back down on her. Vic wasn’t here to mellow her or tie up the threads her mind was weaving. Not until… 45 minutes from now, anyways.

As she stewed and drank, someone came through the side door where the band was playing, pulling up a stool two down from her.

“Coke please, no ice” Chloe turned, eyeing up the new entry.

“Coke? We’re at a bar, you know that, right?” Already a few drinks in, her words came out slightly slurred, the edge of anger and the need to pick a fight showing through. Something, anything, to keep her from focusing on her own shit.

“Yep, but I’m DD, soo…” The girl shrugged her shoulders and turned slightly to face her, and Chloe finally got a good look.

Long dirty blonde hair was tied in a loose ponytail, bangs sticking to her forehead, face flushed and hazel eyes wide. She looked… out of place, Chloe decided. Excited, and she didn’t look like she was here against her will, but she definitely wasn’t one of this crowd.

She was rocking a middle aged mom look, but didn’t actually appear to be any older than Chloe herself. A large gold cross hung against her chest. She stood out like a sore thumb amidst all the punk and heavy metal kids that came to these venues.

“Uh huh…,” Chloe mused, “What’re you even doing at a place like this? You look like you should be teaching school children, and it’s a school night…”

“Ha, nope! Maybe one day, but not yet. Though I’ll admit, being here, this is… definitely unusual for me.” The girl turned to face Chloe more, moving errant strands of her hair back behind her ears.

“Did’ya lose a bet or something?” Chloe picked up her next shot, downing it and eyeing the girl suspiciously.

“Oh, no, actually. My girlfriend is a big fan of one of the bands playing tonight. She used to play in one herself, and she’s been trying to ease me into the music. I’ve never been to a concert or a bar quite like this before, so… I guess this is kind of like my initiation? I mean, it’s not like it’s hard to be here or anything, and she says these bands are way tamer than some she’s been to. So far it’s been way better than I thought it would be, i’d have never listened to this music or come here on my own, but it’s been surprising to me how much I’ve actually enjoyed myself.”

Chloe nodded, curiosity mostly satisfied.

“Fuckin’ A. Glad you enjoyed it.” She waved off the bartender when she motioned to ask if she should refill. “Which band did your girl come to see?”

“Lighthouse at th-,” The girl stopped, looking back over Chloe’s shoulder, “Oh, hey babe!”

Chloe turned slightly in her seat, interested to see who could bring a straight edge looking girl like this to a punk show.

“Ah, fuck.”

Her slight smile died on her lips, anxiety and shock busting through the buzz she’d fallen into. After turning all the way around, she leaned herself back into the bartop in an amalgam of defeat and shock.

“Wows-”

“Please don’t tell me you still say that.” Chloe brought a palm up to her face, hoping if she rubbed her eyes enough and waiting she’d wake up from whatever nightmare she’d fallen into.

“Um.. Max?” The girl at the bar was staring at them both, confusion written on her face.

Max had wrapped one arm around her front, hand resting on her elbow, a look of what could have been nervousness, or annoyance, strained at her face. She walked over next to the girl, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Kate, this is my ex, Chloe. Chloe, this is my girlfriend, Kate. And yes Chloe, I still say that.”

Max hadn’t changed much. Her hoodie was a bit rattier than she remembered, a few holes poking through, and her hair had grown out again. Her eyes were still bright as sapphires, Chloe yanked her eyes away when they connected.

“Already met, but, nice to know your name I guess,” Chloe pointed a finger gun at Kate in emphasis, head lolling to the side and eyes avoiding either of them.

“Oh…”, Kate’s eyes opened wide in recognition, “Um, I’m going to give you two some space if you need it, I’ll wait in the car, ok?” She looked up to Max, who nodded her head in agreement. Standing, she dropped a ten on the counter for the bartender.

“It was nice to meet you Chloe”, she said, shuffling herself out through the front door as quickly as possible, leaving Chloe trapped alone with her past.

Max took over the vacated seat, the pounding of music from the room next to them surging up as she struggled to get an order to the bartender. While she waited for her drink, Chloe debated just leaving right then. Get an uber, phone Vic that she’d left, head off to the beach or the lighthouse or something, and sulk for the rest of the night.

But… She couldn’t. It had been years at this point. Surely they could talk and not have anything bad happen...Right?

“So.. I see your tastes have changed quite a bit.” She wanted to bite the words back as soon as they left her lips. First sentence in, and she was already picking at Max’s choices again. And the girl.. Kate... hadn’t even seemed bad at all. A little naive looking, but, nice enough.

“Yep. Tastes change Chloe, like people. It’s a thing that happens. Usually when someone else decides your choices matter.”

Chloe could feel the sting, and winced visibly.

“...Sorry. I’m not… I’m not trying to pick a fight. Just, this is a surprise is all.”

Chloe swung herself to face Max, right elbow digging into the bar, propping up her head while her eyes still refused to focus on Max’s face. Max, for her part, seemed to be in the same position, neither willing, nor able, to look directly at her.

“Yeah, same here. I’d have thought you’d’ve left by now, off to the next town. Didn’t think you’d want to waste any time here. What’s holding you?”

“Last show was tonight. You brought your girl to the right one, I guess.” Chloe sat up straight, running a hand through her short hair, forcing herself to look at Max directly. “You’re the first one to know too, so… don’t go spreading it around I guess. Plan was just to fade into obscurity.”

“Ah. So the lighthouse is turning off its lights… Mind if I ask why?” Max’s face looked genuine. Or at least, curious to a degree.

“Sure, but, I think I’ll need another shot,” She raised her hand towards the bartender, who set about building another drink.

“Rachel and Frank are done. After you left, he was starting to get into the whole, sex and drugs part of rock n’ roll a bit much. Rach gave him an ultimatum, clean up, or close up shop. And well, he couldn’t get clean. Me n’... Me n’ Vic got tired of the infighting. Figured it was time to strike out on our own. To top it off, we fired our last dude who’d been booking and managing for us. Turned out he was a perv with a drugging fetish, and had a penchant for stealing our fees.”

Chloe downed the shot as it was placed at her hand, focusing on the burn of the liquor rather than the rate of her heartbeat as it sped up.

_Why am I so nervous… it’s over_. She shook her head to clear it up, hoping Vic would show up earlier than promised.

“Wow. Well, they can’t all be Steph, I guess.” Max shrugged her shoulders in solidarity.

“Nope, they can’t. No one will live up to her. She was the fucking best.”

“Hey,” a smile formed on Max’s face, “Remember when she got piss drunk at that strip club? Introduced us as being a special treat for the ladies. I don’t even remember how long it took to get her ass dragged out of there.”

“Ha,” Chloe felt a genuine laugh bubbling up, “She kept saying she was in heaven and to leave her. She was the best.”

The two shared a few small laughs over shared memories, nostalgia helping tune down the awkwardness and shared animosity.

“So,” Max asked, “How’re you and Victoria doing these days?”

And just like that, Chloe could feel the tension ratchet back up even higher. The topic she’d really hoped they wouldn’t get into.

“She’s fine. Bitchy as ever, but you know her. If she’s not being snarky it’s cause she’s sick or legit pissed. We’ve both been saving up, and she’s applying to some colleges near the coast.”

“You both gonna settle down for that then?” Max leaned forward, unzipping her trademark hoodie. Chloe got a good look at the shirt she was wearing, and felt a pang of loss pass through her. The first shirt they’d marketed, outline of a lighthouse on a cliff in white, on a black tee, storm clouds outlined up above it.

“I’m thinking so. I’ve patched up the van enough times, I think I could try and maybe get a job working on something mechanical. Need to try anyways, Vic’s been pushing it, and I don’t wanna let her down.”

She could see the moment Max’s eyes narrowed, and could feel the coming words before she even heard them.

“Well, at least there’s someone you won’t let down.”

That need for a fight came back full force, someone to force her aggression out on so she didn’t need to look inside herself. Chloe fought it down though, knowing nothing good ever came of it. Gods new, she’d learned that hard enough in the past.

“I don’t wanna fight, Max-”

“Oh, so now you don’t wanna fight. What happened to the Punk Queen? The Demon on Drums, huh? You used to dish it out pretty well back then.”

She felt the sting of shame come bearing down. She’d earned any vitriol that Max gave her, and even though she was keeping it civil for now, Chloe knew she could turn it nasty at any point, and she’d deserve it.

“I grew up. Ok? Shitty as it is, it’s been what, three years? I’ve learned to change. Vic’s been a big part of that.” She rocked back and forth in the seat, trying to keep her emotions level.

Max’s eyes were still narrowed, but the intensity of her glare had backed off. A win in Chloe’s book.

“Ok. We’ve both changed, I guess.” Max took another sip of her drink, “Don’t.. Don’t take this the wrong way, but, what did you see in her?”

Chloe took a moment and sighed it back out. One of the few questions she’d been dreading for years. One she couldn’t answer years ago, but had come to find an answer to in the meantime.

“She was,” Chloe shifted in her seat, “She was grounding. She fought back. She’s got her opinions and thoughts and fuck, she might have been insecure and rebelling like a teen back then, but… she pushed me. In ways I don’t think you ever did. I couldn’t just do what I wanted with her following behind..”

“Mmhmm,” Max sighed, “I guess I can see that. I never pushed. We never did fight before it ended. Just kept bottling it up…”

“Why?” Chloe leaned forward, elbows digging into her knees, head tilting to the side slightly. “Why did it all just blow up at once?”

“I don’t know. I never felt like fighting was worth it. You were my captain, Chloe. I went with you through everything. You made me feel like a kid I guess, and I made dumb decisions, as if I still was one. It just, came to a head eventually. It was too much, and suddenly I realized we weren’t kids anymore. This wasn’t playing. It was life, and I had no idea who I really was. I’d been following you in your shadow and energy for so long, I realized that I didn’t have any of my own.”

_We should have had this conversation back then… but I don’t know if I’d have been willing to listen._

“Is that what Kate gives you? Space…? Room for your own decisions?”

Max began nodding, taking a sip, and a moment to breathe.

“Yeah… She’s down to earth, similar interests and hobbies. She doesn’t make me feel like I have to run to catch up,” Max leaned back on the stool, “She’s just present. I can put myself out there and she keeps me from falling back. In ways you never did.”

Chloe could feel the urge to be sarcastic and biting, and choked it down.

“So going from… well, me… to her, isn’t like, whiplash or anything? No disrespect, but she’s the last person I’d expect to come into a shithole like this.”

The bartender gave her a pointed stare, hands harshly placed on her hips.

“No disrespect meant…” Chloe turned and brought up her hands in surrender.

Max had the thin outline of a smile on her face, blue eyes looking up to lock onto her own.

“Ha, yeah, she’s definitely different. When we met, she was still in college. She was president of the Abstinence club, if you can believe it.”

Chloe couldn’t hold back anymore and started to giggle at that image, “Hell yeah I can believe that, you sure know how to pick em’ huh?”

“Yeah, and she’s like way toned down now. Used to be all knee length skirts, and choir music. Helped pull her outta that shell though. Finally came out to her family once we had our own apartment, and I mean like, she’s still like, really religious, but in her own way now. It works…”

Max had begun staring off in a direction, smile still present but subdued.

“Well, I’m glad you found someone Max. Really, I am.”

“Thanks Chloe. And… you too. But don’t tell Victoria I said that, she’d never let me live that down.”

_Bzzt.. Bzzt.. Bzzt.._

“Speak of the devil…” Chloe’s phone had started lighting up, notifications from Victoria popping in. She shuffled some cash out of her side pocket and dropping it onto the bar. With that done, she turned to Max,, “Well… My ride is here. I’m gonna get goin’ now.”

She stood up, slinging her backpack around her shoulder, and forcing herself to straighten up and look Max in the eyes.

“It was… It was good to see you Max.”

“You too Chloe. Here,” Max reached into her pocket, pulling out a plain looking business card.

_Caulfield Photography_ , emblazoned on the front, along with a pressed picture of a generic camera. Chloe turned it over, reading the name and number along the backside.

“It’s my cell number, but I use it for work too. I don’t have a legit space to work out of yet, so… yeah. Give me a text anytime you want to talk. Would be nice to catch up, outside of this place, that is.”

Chloe placed the card into her back pocket, walking backwards towards the door and waving lamely.

“Sure thing Max, I’ll… talk to ya’ later.” She gave a small smile, and turned out through the door.

The bouncer from before was still standing outside, eyeing a tall blonde in the parking lot.

“Eyes off, she’s mine, Meathead.”

Chloe walked out towards, middle finger held up behind her as she left the stoop that the bouncer was standing on.

“Sup’ babe,” Victoria wrapped Chloe up in a hug after pecking her cheek. “Have fun waiting on me?”

Chloe grinned and walked over to the opposite side of the car, ready to get in.

“Vic, you would not believe who I ran into in there.”

Car doors shut, and they rode out from a chapter of their lives, and into a new one.


End file.
